Okami no Chi
by Anonymous Pyro
Summary: An Escaflowne movie fic, Attempts to give Dilandau some much needed backstory.


I have only seen a few fics that had to do with the Escaflowne movie and its characters, So I figured why not write one! The subject of my fic will be "movie" Dilandau and his mysterious past (*sniff* they give the poor guy no real backstory) All I had to go on was the fact that Dilandau was said to have 'roamed with wild dogs' before Folken took him in. So I will start from the beginning! Enjoy!

Okami no Chi

Dusk. A large expanse of brush and grass lay before him against a backdrop of dense forest. On it he could see his quarry, not yet aware of the danger they faced. His keen eyes scanned the grasslands seeking out his victim. His prey was in site. A slight breeze caressed him and brought with it his preys spoor. How he loved the hunt. He could taste the scent of his prey as he stalked ever closer. He loved that he could sense, smell, taste the fear that hung in the twilight air. He grinned.

The prey, a herd of medium sized deer like creatures, walked slowly through the grass stopping ever so often to take another bite of the brush. They were wary, but they were not ready to run at the slightest noise. 'Their guard is down just enough' he thought as he watched them, slowly moving forward. 

He stayed low in the grass, not wanting the prey to catch sight of him. He didn't have the natural camouflage that the others had. His hair had a peculiar color, silver. He stalked slowly, his lithe body moving with precision through the brush. Silently he watched and licked his lips in anticipation of the scene that would soon play out before him.

Looking to his side he could sense more than see the other members of his pack slinking through the tall grass. Their lupine forms moving slowly towards their goal. Looking ahead he could see that one of the wolves had gone ahead to make the final choice. He longed to be that one, the one who would make the final choice of what would live and what would die this night. The wolf that had gone ahead stopped suddenly and all eyes watched in tense silence. Their prey looked up suddenly, sensing danger and becoming nervous. 

A swift movement, the leader lunged at his intended victim who dodged and ran. This was the signal he had been waiting for, with a cry he and the others rushed at their prey, 'It will not survive' he thought gleefully as he ran. The deer was fast, but not nearly fast enough to escape. The rest of the pack pulled ahead and he fell behind, struggling to catch up. He was fast, that was certain, but not as fast as the wolves he ran with, not that it would matter in the end. He laughed as he ran, he could feel an urge growing inside of him, he wanted to spill this creatures blood. 'Ah, blood' He thought 'Soon it's life fluid will add to my own' relishing the thought of lapping at the warm fluid.

Watching the deer run he sensed its next move, a move he was familiar with, one born of panic. 'It will be its downfall' he laughed as he broke away from the rest of the pack. Running quickly to the side he ducked down into the grass and waited, glad to give his burning legs a rest. As he had predicted, the deer made a sharp turn leaving the pack slightly disoriented as they changed their direction. The prey was now headed straight for him. He fingered his knives blade as the deer came ever closer to him. 

It was nearly on top of him, and he lunged upwards, jabbing the sharp blade into the deer exposed chest. The creature let out a shriek of pain and reared. He only laughed as the blood sprayed from the wound, He grabbed the deer's neck and pulled it down 'It will not rise again' he thought relishing the fact that he had been the one to end its life. He looked up to see that his pack had arrived, the leader approaching slowly yet surely. 

As much as he hated to, he backed away from his kill and allowed the alpha male to partake of the food first. Many a fierce growl and bite had taught him his place in the pack. Everyone had a place. He was not really hungry he decided, the chase had taken his appetite away, but it was still his accomplishment and it should be his choice who he shares it with he thinks as he lays back to catch his breath. The other members of the pack come to congratulate him, giving him licks and the like before turning to the kill. He watched as they ate, satisfying their hunger. 

He had always known them, had always been with them. The wolves he lived with, they thought of him as one of them, and he cared for them and liked to think of himself as one of them…but he could never truly accept that, especially as of late. For as long as he could remember he had joined them in the hunt, returned with them to their lair, but he couldn't help but think that he was out of place with them. 'Everyone has a place' He thought as he watched them.

Once they were finished they stood, shook off, and turned to head home. There was little evidence of what had occurred that night, some trampled grass, a few scattered bones, But he would never forget it for it was his first kill. He followed the pack as they loped towards their lair. It was late now and he was tired. He moved to an unoccupied spot and lay down. It did not take long for sleep to claim him.

He was in a strange place. Looking around he could see other creatures, ones that looked like he did. One approached him and spoke softly. He wasn't surprised that he knew the language, he knew how to speak, he just found it unnecessary to speak when he was with the pack. He turned his attention to man in front of him and began to listen to what he was saying. "Do you know who I am?" The man asked. The man had a rather deep voice, but it was soothing to hear. "Yes" he answered as he eyed the person who was cloaked in a strange black garment. 

He answered 'Yes' but in truth he had forgotten the mans name, not that he cared to learn it again, he had no use for names. It was always the same and he was used to the man now. At first he had attacked the man, but the man had always blocked his attacks and subdued him, he had hated it and had eventually given up fighting the man. Soon after that the man had given him his name and began to ask his questions. "Are you ready to come with me?" the man stated his second question. 

He though of giving his usual answer of 'No', the answer he always gave the man. The man had visited him in his dreams frequently, but it was always the same, he would always come ask his two questions then leave after hearing 'No'. This time though, he would ask his own question "Where will you take me?" he asked as he looked up at the man. He had always refrained from asking questions, wanting to escape the dream quickly, but now he wanted to know if, perhaps, there was a better place for him, a place with others like him. The man in black stared at him for a few moments and he grew uncomfortable under the scrutiny. 

Finally the man spoke "I will bring you to me, to a place with others like you, to a place where you will have power you seek, for you are not like others of your kind…you are unique" The man stated in even tones. He liked the sound of that "Power?, I would like that" he laughed as he thought about it. "Are you ready to come with me?" The man asked again. If he had not been caught up in his thoughts of power he might have asked what the man wanted in return for the power he spoke of, but he failed to ask that before answering "Yes, Tonight I will go with you". 

The man faded away and he was left in a deep sleep. He didn't notice as his body was transported in a peculiar way to a room in a large fortress. He didn't notice as the other members of his pack stirred and watched as his body was taken away in a beam of light. He didn't hear the mournful howls of the ones who had been his brothers, Didn't hear as they said their goodbyes.

What do you think? Not a complete failure I hope. I didn't want to name the mysterious subject of my fic (You all knew it was Dilandau anyway) I am saving that honor for Folken (I am pretty sure you all knew he was the man in Dil's dream, You did…right?)

I hope to explore more of "movie" Dilandau's backstory in future chapters if you like this one. Please leave me a review oh respectable reader, that I may know if I should continue or not. Until Next Time!

*Note: I do not own Escaflowne or any of the characters therein…I just like to pretend that I do.


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